Dince 2018 when they joined the elite of French baseball, the Boucaniers de La Rochelle have begun a wise and reasonable progression that has allowed them to move upmarket each year and reach the semi-finals of the competition in 2022 to the first time in their history. The reference site lebaseblog.fr even made the Rochelais the “feel-good story”, the nice surprise of the last championship, with an astonishing record of 12 wins for 4 losses in the regular season.
They are therefore necessarily in the spotlight and will have to assume this new status by watching the leaders of the competition right in the…
Dince 2018 when they joined the elite of French baseball, the Boucaniers de La Rochelle have begun a wise and reasonable progression that has allowed them to move upmarket each year and reach the semi-finals of the competition in 2022 to the first time in their history. The reference site lebaseblog.fr even made the Rochelais the “feel-good story”, the nice surprise of the last championship, with an astonishing record of 12 wins for 4 losses in the regular season.
They are therefore necessarily in the spotlight and will have to assume this new status by looking the leaders of the competition straight in the eyes. A challenge that does not really scare the uninhibited President Pascal Régnier, who has long aspired to be in the fight for the national crown.
Do better than in 2022
On the field side, the answer to the question on ambitions depends on the personality and background of each one. “A game at the time!” says Canadian manager Kirk Mc Nabb to the caution of Sioux, who therefore wants to take the matches one by one, but still displays a certain optimism. “Recruitment has been good. Since the resumption, each player has worked hard and shown a lot of diligence and application. »
The other coach, the Chilean international Pablo Ossandon, who has now left the mound of the Port-Neuf field to supervise the team, is less bothered with precautions and detours. “Given the very positive progress of the club in recent years, the objective is to be in a position to win the championship. We were semi-finalists in 2022, now we have to aim higher. And I don’t forget the Challenge de France, which is also a very important competition and a great showcase for the clubs. We have recruited players with high potential, I think the group is stronger this season. »
Important departures
But there are also objective reasons to worry considering the departure of players who have had an important part in the excellent results. The brothers Clément and Maxence Esteban left for a new experience in Berlin, Ramiro Millar, an Argentinian with a European passport, migrated to Lyon, and Théo Lakmèche, a former French international, the team’s best striker in 2022 and very invested in the life of the club, will devote himself to his profession of physiotherapist.
“It’s impactful, because they are French players or holders of a European passport, and we have quotas to respect in this area”, explains Pascal Régnier. Four young players from the Pôle Espoirs de Toulouse come however to restore the balance.
Potential recruitment
Recruitment seems interesting with Samuele De Simone, an Italian from Pescara who has known American Leagues, Yaferson Lopez, a Venezuelan pitcher who passed through Argentina and Rouen, a club with which he was crowned best pitcher in the Challenge de France 2022. waiting for his passport, he will not be present at the start of the championship.
We also note the arrival of Tony Amoroso, a Venezuelan pitcher advised by former Buccaneer Rayner Oliveros, who joined the American franchise of the Boston Red Sox, and Denis Brito, a Dominican who passed through Mexico, Guatemala and Japan. Liam Navarro arrives from the Barracudas of Montpellier, and the German Max Vetter is a new interior player. Kirk Mc Nabb will also count on Miguel Lopez, a catcher who will make his first season in France after a stint in Italy.
Frames still there
But we know that the objective of the leaders is above all to retain the best players so that they are part of a long-term life project in La Rochelle. One of the finest examples is Forrest Crawford, 33, who arrived on the shores of the Atlantic six years ago and is now perfectly integrated sportingly, socially and professionally. Very involved, the native of Seattle, an urban architect by training, has greatly participated in the development of the club’s infrastructures and their embellishment, while remaining a high-level player since he was the first base thief for the Buccaneers in 2022. .
The Venezuelan Wilse Nieves, best pitcher last year, is starting his third season in La Rochelle, the Brazilian from São Paulo Felipe Lot, the Franco-Cuban Daniel Rossel, La Rochelle leader in points produced, but also the pitchers Nicolas Antoine and Franklin de La Rosa, members of the France team, are still part of the green and gold squad.
A pivotal year
Several adjustments will be made during this year 2023 since the French Baseball Federation will engage in a process of reducing the elite. This season will be the last with a division 1 comprising 10 teams divided into 2 pools of 5. In 2024, the centenary year of the federation, there will only be eight clubs among the elite. At the end of the season, the two teams ranked in last place in their group will therefore be relegated, with a warning for the eighth of D1, who will have to engage in a series of play-offs against a team from D2.
Another novelty, the regular season this year has 24 games instead of 16. To achieve this, each team will have to play two additional games against another opponent in the pool, with a draw to determine the location of the matches. According to Kirk Mc Nabb, the Buccaneers manager, this is good news for a growing League. The Rochelais are in pool A, with Rouen, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, Toulouse and Paris UC. The Rouen Huskies are the big favorites in the competition, as they always are as they are on a run of seven consecutive titles, and have been crowned French champions 16 times in the last 17 seasons.
During the first day of the championship, Sunday March 19, at 11 a.m. then around 2 p.m., the Boucaniers welcome Stade Toulousain, an ambitious club which has just experienced two complicated seasons. Note the arrival in Toulouse of Ariel Soriano, the top Franco-Dominican striker, who was a major player for the Boucaniers during their first season in Division 1, and Randy Perez, the new manager. From May 18, the championship will take a break for four days to make way for the Challenge de France, in Lieusaint, the Templiers de Sénart stadium. The winner will earn a place in the Confederation Cup, a tournament bringing together the main Leagues of Europe. L. B.
